Homily at the Paraklesis of the Theotokos:
On Imitating the Virtues of the Mother of God
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
On Imitating the Virtues of the Mother of God
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
“Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28). With these words the heavenly messenger greeted the Most Holy Virgin, bringing her the good news that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. In response to this angelic greeting, we hear prophetic words that she, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, spoke to her relative, the righteous Elizabeth. These words were not spoken out of passing emotion, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:
“For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). These prophetic words have been fulfilled for two thousand years, as people throughout the world glorify the Most Pure One as the Mother of God, exalt her as more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, and bless her as the protectress of the Christian people.
We who believe in Christ should consider ourselves blessed and rejoice spiritually that we possess such a great treasure. We must guard it carefully so that it is not taken from us by the enemy. We must love the Mother of God, honor her, obey her, and glorify her through our good deeds and by living a faithful Christian life.
The greatest way we can honor the Mother of God is by striving to imitate her God-pleasing life and her virtues. To do this, we need to become familiar with her earthly life and the virtues that adorned her and made her worthy of becoming the Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By looking at her life, we can imitate her as much as we are able and learn lessons of Christian piety. And there is much we can learn from her.
First of all, her birth itself was not ordinary like that of most people, but was the result of the fervent and tearful prayers of her previously childless parents. After much sorrow and prayer, they asked God for a child and promised to dedicate the child to Him. In response, the Lord gave them a blessed child, who became not only their consolation but a joy to the whole world.
This shows the power of parental prayer and teaches us to turn to prayer more often — in every situation of our lives. The daughter of the righteous Joachim and Anna, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, was chosen by God’s providence to become the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. This was due both to God’s incomparable goodness and to her own exceptional purity and worthiness.
But how did she attain such purity — greater even than that of the angels — and such a high dignity?
She achieved this through her upbringing and life in the Temple, where she remained until almost the time of the Annunciation. The Temple was her teacher, her guardian, and the place where her purity and virginity were preserved and strengthened. There she learned silence, solitude, and contemplation of God, which led to deep, contemplative prayer.
Let this be a lesson to all who are attached to social distractions and the busyness of worldly life: divine grace does not visit the soul amid constant noise, distraction, and idle talk, nor is the word of God planted deeply in such conditions.
Church tradition tells us that while she lived in the Temple, an angel brought her food. What does this mean? It means she fasted. Those who do not fast rely on themselves for food, as they wish. But those who strive for spiritual life and neglect bodily desires receive help from heaven, so that excessive fasting does not harm their bodies. In this way, the Most Holy Virgin practiced fasting.
How did she spend her time in the Temple? According to tradition, described in detail by Saint Jerome: from early morning until about nine o’clock she prayed; from nine in the morning until about three in the afternoon she worked and read the word of God; and from late afternoon she again devoted herself to prayer until the angel brought her food.
Why did she fast daily in this way? She was not consciously preparing herself to become the Mother of the Savior, since this mystery was hidden from her until the Annunciation. Whether she chose this life out of her own desire for spiritual growth or was guided by divine inspiration, her way of life was not accidental — it was part of God’s preparation for this great mystery.
Her example is beyond our full imitation, but we can still learn from it. If such perfect fasting was necessary and beneficial for her, then our own imperfect fasting is also necessary and beneficial for our spiritual growth.
Tradition also says that she loved reading Holy Scripture. In particular, she reflected deeply on the prophecy of Isaiah: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
This shows that her spirit was nourished by God’s word and her mind enlightened by divine wisdom. Each of us should likewise value spiritual learning and not listen to those who discourage reading Scripture. Look to her example and engage in daily spiritual reading so that your faith may grow.
As the Holy Spirit says through the Prophet David: “Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on it day and night. He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season” (Psalm 1:1–3). And the Apostle Paul writes: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16).
Today we have focused on three virtues of the Mother of God: fasting, reading the word of God, and prayer. Let us try to imitate her in these. Just as she was granted incomparable glory, so every Christian who strives for virtue, even if not reaching her perfection, will be illumined by the grace of the Holy Spirit and prepared for eternal glory.
May the Lord grant this to us through the prayers of His most blessed Mother.
"Rejoice, our joy, protect us from every evil with your precious covering." Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
